Blast From the Past
by SequoiaBigandTall
Summary: Margaret wants to forget everything about her past life. Everything except her sister. She runs away from an abusive father to join the Newsies disguised as a boy. When they discover her true identity, will it help more than she thought? And when the past comes back, which life will she choose?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! ChickenLuv8 here! I'm beyond excited that I'm finally posting my first fanfic! I have been thinking and pondering for so long trying to come up with an idea. I know this will probably be exactly like so many other Newsies fanfics, with a girl newsie and mean or dead parents, regular stuff like that. But those are always my favorite aspects! Too bad! Ya gotta deal with it!**

 **This fanfic is set after the strike, but the Refuge wasn't shut down, and Crutchie still came back. I still like having that threat. So, without further super rambling...**

* * *

One, two, three...

I counted my tears slowly plopping onto my pillow.

... four, five, six...

I don't even know who I am anymore, what with not being allowed to be myself.

... seven, eight, nine...

What is life when no one around loves you?

... ten, elev-

" _Margaret!_ " I jumped out of bed immediately and rushed down the stairs.

"Yes, Father?" I stared into his stone cold eyes, filled with hatred and tyranny.

"You missed a spot." he said cooly, swiping his forefinger over a black smudge on the table.

"But that stain has been there for years! I can never get it off!" I protested, sizzling tears brimming my eyes.

"YOU WILL NOT REST UNTIL IT HAS DISAPPEARED, GIRL!"

I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, gathering myself together, but that was the wrong thing to do. In that split second, Father had struck me across the left cheek, causing a gasp to escape my big mouth. I can usually handle the frequent hits, but he had hit a frightful bruise that I had gotten earlier that day.

"Does that hurt, girl?" When I said nothing, he struck me again and kicked the back of my knees, which made me crumple to the floor. "You had better wipe up that grime, or suffer much worse!" He swiftly turned down a hallway and left me there, weak and miserable.

I heaved myself up off the ground and staggered over to the cupboard. I retrieved a towel and a bucket, then filled it with warm soapy water. After dipping the towel in the water, I scrubbed like it was my lifeline. I scrubbed and scratched and scraped to no avail. I continued until my fingers went numb. But all this work was useless, so I decided to clean up and hope for the best.

I timidly knocked on the door to Father's study. He opened it and swept past me towards the kitchen without a sound. "THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE THAT I SEE!" he yelled suddenly and stormed around the corner. He grabbed my arm painfully and dragged me up the stairs and towards the door that haunts my dreams. He grasped the handle.

"Father! No! Please!" I cried.

"Quiet, girl!" He threw me inside the barren room onto the rough, dirty ground. I watched it terror as he gazed thoughtfully at a rack. A rack that held belts. Belts for beating. With nails and spikes and broken glass. Even rarely used flammable ones that burned me. He was muttering to himself and I, with a mad idea, gathered my remaining strength and bolted to the door. I was this close to getting out when a sharp pain ricocheted through my body and I collapsed. Father stood above me holding in his hand the worst of the whips, which he calls the Tautrinator.

He whipped me across the stomach and I cried out. " _That's_ for not obeying my chore orders."

A lash around my thigh. " _That's_ for trying to escape."

Both my shoulders. " _That's_ for being a useless _thing!_ "

He circled the pathetic, whimpering me with a sneer. "You're worse than your sister."

He kicked me in the gut, and left.

"You're worse than your sister." echoed through my mind. My sister. My sister. _Oh, Grace. I miss you so much. Why did you leave me? Why did you forsake me? Pushed me away and ran! You left me behind with a monster. You knew that._ "WHY?!" I screamed out loud, unable to contain myself. "WHY, WHY, WHY?! WHY THIS LIFE?! WHY ME?!" Tears streamed down my face, not willing to stop, no reason to stop, and I crawled towards my room still muttering, "Why?"

* * *

 **Why? Why must I make you go through all this horror? Cuz it's fun. *cackle* Just kidding! (Duh!) Hang in there, Margaret, something will turn up 'once and for all'!**


	2. Chapter 2

***evil laugh* I am killing you by making you read a despicable Author's Note! *cackle* Anyways, just to let you guys know if any of you were wondering, Margaret's father is NOT an alcoholic. Well, he probably drinks at parties and stuff but not under any circumstances is he a drunkard. He's just a tyrant.**

* * *

A loud thump echoed through walls and I bolted upright. It happened again. I dashed down to Father's study where the door was cracked open. Father's head stuck out and he ordered, "Breakfast. Coffee and two eggs." I quickly brewed his usual and scrambled two eggs. I set it outside his door and started to trudge up the stairs but Father stopped me. He grabbed my shoulder and I winced at the contact with my wound. "I need you to go get me a newspaper. Now."

"What?"

"A newspaper." he sighed. "Get one from a newsie. You're bound to find one somewhere." He narrowed his eyes. "Unless you take so long that they're all sold out by the time you get there!" That comment set me off. I grabbed a coin and hurried out the door.

I walked through the streets watching for any kid who could be a newsie.

"Extra! Extra! Massive ship sinks and kills hundreds!"

I turned towards the voice and saw a stocky, muscular boy waving a newspaper in the air.

I squared my shoulders and headed over.

"Why, hello there, miss!" he flirted. His voice was deep and gravelly. "Would you be-"

"Yeah, thanks." I said quickly, stuffing the payment in his hand and snatching a paper.

As soon as I set foot in the house, Father rushed over and slammed the door behind me. "That took way too long!"

"Well, I didn't know where to go at first, but now I know so next time I'll be a lot quicker."

"Fine. Go clean the bathroom."

I suppressed a groan and grabbed the cleaning supplies. I scrubbed the toilet and the sink and picked up the hair on the ground. I organized the medicine and toiletries before opening the window for a moment to let in a cool breeze. I breathed in the fresh air and listened to the noise of the bustling city. Someday I'll be out there. I'll be living a carefree life, not cooped up in a stuffy building doing chore after chore after chore. No sir! And, the best of all, I'll have absolutely "NO STINKING FATHER TO-" I froze, realizing I has shouted the last part very much out loud. Oh, no. Did Father hear?

"MARGARET!" he roared. Yes. He did hear.

I stiffly walked to his study, where the door was open and he was leaning against the door frame. "Yes, Father?" I squeaked.

"What did I just hear you say?!"

"Well, I just said, 'Yes, Father?'"

Next thing I knew my back was to the floor and Father's arm was across my chest. "You. Just. Earned. A. Meeting-" He paused as I looked into his face with fear. "-with the Tautrinator." I gasped and started pleading for mercy.

"No! You just did that yesterday! The wounds are still fresh!" I screamed and kicked and struggled but he held on tight and didn't answer.

He tossed me in a heap and didn't waste one second to flog me aggressively. "You. Are. THE. WORST. THING. TO. EVER. HAPPEN. TO. ME!" he bellowed with each strike. "Even your crackpot of a mother shouldn't of had to give birth to something like _you!_ " he spat.  
"How dare you call Mother a crackpot! She was wonderful!" That remark earned me another lash.

"Apparently not wonderful enough to know that standing on a balcony can result in falling!"

" _You pushed her, you idiot!_ " I screamed in fury.

He beat me like there was no tomorrow.

Red blotches spotted my vision. But I wasn't losing consciousness, I was seeing red hot rage.

I attacked. I flew at my _monster_ of a father with flying fists. I pounded his face as hard as I could. He dropped the Tautrinator. I dove for it and picked it up. Father rolled aside and grabbed the closest whip on the rack. I seized the moment and struck his backside as furiously as I could. He roared and spun around, whip in hand. He lunged at me and it caught my side. I expected a blast of pain but I only felt it hit me, not pierce me. I glanced at his whip and stifled a snicker. He was armed with a flammable one, but it was just a soft strip without the flame. He didn't seem to notice though, so I doubled over and pretended to be in terrible pain. He smirked, and struck again, harder. This time I collapsed to set his guard down. I managed to choke out in a convincing way, "Stop. Please. You win." He sneered in triumph and tossed the flammable belt aside, lazily reaching for the Tautrinator still clutched tightly in my hand. That was his mistake. Just as his fingers were inches away, I suddenly leapt up and lashed out across his face. He howled and clutched his head in his hands.

I ran.

Away from beatings.

Away from my father.

Away from my life.

* * *

 **I have to say, I love how this chapter turned out. I love the ending! I'm sorry if it was a bit too graphic. But I think it was epic.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the wait!**

* * *

My feet ached.

My back ached.

My shoulders ached.

My stomach ached.

My legs ached.

My side ached.

But for once, my heartache was lifted.

I was free. I laughed out loud. I was free! I can see the world now! Meet a guy! Maybe make a profit! Then it hit me. All my belongings were back home. No. They were back at my old residence. It was never my home. That monster was never my father. I was never myself. But now I can be. Because no one is there to lash me in.

My stomach growled loudly. I looked around for some place to eat. A place named Jacobi's Deli caught my eye. I trudged in and tried to ignore the stares. I must look so bad. Cuts and bruises everywhere, dirty blonde hair and dress disheveled. At the counter an old bearded man smiled at me. "What would you like, miss?"

"Um, I don't have any money. I was just wondering if I could have a little something to eat for the moment?"

He slipped into the back without saying a word and reappeared a few seconds later with a piece of warm bread.

"Here ya go."

"Oh, thank you so much! I can't tell you how much I appreciate that."

"Eh, ya don't need to. I can see it in your eyes."

I grinned, something I hadn't done in a long, long time.

I searched nearby alleyways for stuff that could be useful for my survival. Digging through some trash cans, I found a few scraps of food. They were somewhat rotting and gross, but it would be substantial. I decided it best to wait on the fresh bread. It would stay fresh the longest, so I used it to clear the disgusting taste my other food held. I ate a tiny nibble every night, carving a tiny notch in the bread each day, so it also worked as my tally marker. I had been living on the streets for four whole days. It surprisingly went by fast. I felt so carefree, like I'd always wanted. On the third night, I had found a sufficient alley to spend nights in. A tattered old blanket was discarded there, so it was comfortable and snug. It also held some old crates to put the few things I acquired: A small faded brown bag, ripped newspaper pieces, which I was saving for paper, and a thin scarf. I thought I was living the perfect life, until soon I realized I had to compete for space.

The sunset blazed up against the skyline and I stretched. I laid down to sleep, when I heard a scratchy voice. "What are ya doin'?"

I jumped up to see a scraggly man a couple of years older than me with numerous missing teeth hobbling towards me. "What are ya doin'?" he repeated.

"Trying to fall asleep!" I snapped.

"Woah, woah, woah, dis is ma turf."

"Apparently not! I'VE been living here for the past week!" I mimicked his voice, "Dis is ma turf."

He raised his eyebrows. "I'se been with a friend."

"Then stay with your friend."

"Can't. He kicked me outta der." His eyes suddenly lit up. "I'se an idea. Why don't we share?"

"No way!" I stepped in front of him and slapped him hard, making him stumble. I immediately felt bad because looking down at him looking up at me reminded me of when I would get slapped. "Oh! I'm sorry. I shouldn't of done that."

"No, is OK. I'se should let you'se have it. You'se da goil. I'm gonna go find myself another alley. See ya 'round."

"You too. Oh! Hey! Wait! I didn't catch your name." I called after him.

"William."

"Margaret."

William smiled. "Be careful, Margaret. Not everyone's as friendly as me."

"I will. Bye." I sighed in relief when William was out of sight. That was my first real conversation with someone other than a tyrant in years.

I laid down in my makeshift bed and closed my eyes. Tomorrow I'll need to figure out a way to keep this alley.

I woke from a drip of water on my nose. Then one on my arm. Oh no. It was raining. I wasn't prepared for this. I quickly stacked a bunch of the boxes into a formation that

looked like a small cave. Grabbing my belongings, I dove into the shelter and sat there, knees hugging my chest.

After a while I started to realize that I couldn't huddle there all day. I needed to collect more materials to build the shelter. These ragged boxes won't hold for long. I also needed to collect more food and get a cup of water from Jacobi's. Oh, yes! I could gather the rain water to drink. But I would need a bowl or a tarp...

I crawled out into the sprinkles and resumed my daily resource search.

Soon I came upon a bunch of solid crates. I took one in each hand and headed back to my home alley. I repeated that action until I had enough to rebuild and expand the shelter.

When I had just finished and was admiring my work, a rough hand grabbed me by the neck and slammed me against the wall. I looked up to see a sneering man whose breath reeked of alcohol. "I don't think a pretty girl like you should be living on the streets. You deserve a home."

"N-no, sir. This is my home." I squeaked, trying to sound brave, but failing miserably.

"I have a place where homeless children are taken so they don't have to live in a bad situation."

"I'd prefer to live in the streets, it's a carefree life."

"Nonsense, you'll be happy to have shelter."

"Well, what do you call that?!" I did my best to motion towards the stacked crates.

The man scoffed, "A jumble of boxes. Now you're coming with me! It's off to the Refuge!"

I had never heard of the Refuge, but something about the word seemed menacing, and something inside me snapped. I writhed and wrestled my way out of his grip, then packed a punch to his nose, wiping the sneer off his face.

"Why, you-" He grabbed his cane and hit me with it, knocking me to the ground. I had experience with beatings though, and had suffered much worse. I rolled to the side right before one of the blows struck me, and the force of his lunge sent him stumbling. I seized the chance and kicked his rear and knocked him upside the head. He spun around and attempted to whack me as hard as he could. I saw this coming and sidestepped the blow, causing his momentum to take him to the ground. I booted him in the crotch and ran.

I ran without thinking about where I was going. I swerved to and fro different alleys for what seemed like days. Finally I stopped, winded, and sank down to my knees. It was back to the beginning. Once again I had no belongings. Once again I was on the run. But I was still free.

I took in my surroundings. It was just a bare alley, save for a fallen trash can and a small box. I checked inside the box. It was clothes! They were dirty and somewhat smelly, but not ragged. They were boy clothes, but they would be easier to run in. Then I saw, scrunched up at the bottom, a hat. I picked it up and fingered it. It looked very familiar. It was gray and flat. I secured it on my head. I decided to use this alley for my sleep since it was growing dark.

I spread the clothes on the ground and laid down, falling asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of someone yelling. I groggily crawled off my "bed" and looked up to see the bustling morning city. I must've slept a long time, worn out from the running. A newsie was selling newspaper in the ocean of people.

That's when it hit me. The hat I found was a newsies cap! I knew I'd seen it before. I saw it when I bought a paper that morning for my father.

Suddenly an idea struck me. I should become a newsie! Then I can make a profit! I decided to observe the newsies today to see how things are done. Tomorrow morning I'll go be one. I strode around and found numerous newsies. All had their own strategy. But all of them were boys.

I would have to disguise myself. I would need to tuck my hair into the cap and smear dirt on my face, make my voice lower. I would need to change my name. Andrew, maybe that was my birth father's name.

"Hello, miss. Could I interest ya in the latest paper?" I turn to see a boy a couple years younger than me.

"I don't have any money. I live on the streets."

"Oh, sorry. Hope ya don't get caught by Snydah!" He started to walk away.

"Wait, who?" I yelled.

"Snydah." He came back over. "Snydah da Spidah. He runs da Refuge."

"Oh, him? I think I know that guy. He caught me yesterday but I got away."

"Good. Wouldn't want a lovely goil like you'se locked up in der." He winked.

"Um, sorry, but I'm a lot older than you..."

He didn't look surprised but just shrugged and walked away.

Okaaaayyy...

As I was heading back to my alley, I passed two newsies talking to each other.

"Didja sell all you'se papes?" The younger one asked.

"Yeah, and I got some extra. One lady gave me a whole dime for one pape."

"I'se got extra too! I'se thinkin' about using it to buy more papes to sell tomorrow."

I didn't hear anymore, because my thoughts were racing. I need to buy the newspapers before I sell them? I needed to pickpocket someone.

* * *

 **Yeah, lame ending. But the story will pick up in the next chapter! (Hopefully) Hold your horses! PLEASE TELL ME IF I'M WRITING THE ACCENT WRONG! I'm not exactly sure how to write it.**

 **R &R! F&F! **

**Toodles!**

 **\- ChickenLuv8/Sequoia/Black Widow/Blotch/Cheetah/Bob/JuJuBe Squishy/Jello/Squirt/Auria66/Jubilee Bird/Henry/Jubo/BlaakHeart/Bad Mint/Saangqwup/Ketchup/Blank Square/Decoy/Bleak Window/Grass Girl/Trash Worthy/Flipped 8/NOT SHELLY!**


	4. Chapter 4

**What's up, guys? The next chapter, that's what's up!**

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I saw a man walking briskly past my alley, so I dashed around the building and purposely slammed into him when he rounded the corner.

"Watch where you're going!" he growled angrily.

"I'm so sorry, sir!" I pretended to accidentally fall over him, and when pulling myself up I swiftly dipped my hand in his pocket. My fingers closed around two coins, and I got up. "Again, I'm really sorry!"

He left without a word.

I opened my hand. Two dimes sat there curiously. DIMES. I sure hope that's enough.

* * *

 _I am a newsie, and I sell a paper to an elderly lady. She walks away without paying though. I run after her. "Ma'am! Payment?"_

 _She turns around and strikes me with the newspaper. She then pulls out the Tautrinator from the folds. I look up and gasp. It is my father. He lashes me across the face and rasps, "You're worse than your sister."_

* * *

I bolted upright in a cold sweat. Just a dream. Just a dream. Just. A. Dream. I sank back down onto the pavement and laid there for hours, unable to move. Soon the sun was peeping over the roofs, greeting the day. I yawned and rolled over, coming face-to-face with a spider. I've never been scared of creepy-crawlies. I liked them. I thought they were cool. So I scooped up the arachnid and watched as it skittered up my bare arm. I stopped it before it could crawl into my sleeve, and set it gently on the ground. It scurried into the shadows and I laughed.

"What'cha laughin' about?"

I yelped and turned around to find William bending over me. "Oh, hey William." I grimaced.

"Hi Margaret. Can I'se maybe have you'se previous alley now?"

"Oh, sure. But you have to get me my stuff. I can't go back there."

"OK. And why not?" He cocked his head to one side.

"Snyder almost caught me there."

"Oh... Den maybe I shouldn't go back der either."

"At least be a gentleman and get my stuff." I pushed him playfully and laughed.

"Alright." he sighed. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Actually I need to go somewhere. Just leave the stuff here."

"Where are ya goin'?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Ma lips are sealed." he smiled.

"I'm going to become a newsie. I'm disguising myself as a boy."

"Cool! I won't tell a soul." He hobbled out of sight.

I stared at the clothes that I'm about to change into for a moment. Will I be able to keep up the act? I push the bad thoughts away and hide behind the trash can and the box to change. The inside of the newsies clothes were caked with dirt and grime. I did my best to scrape it off. I slid the shirt over my head and grimaced when I noticed how baggy it was. But my problem was solved when I put on the vest. The vest was more fitting, so it covered the bagginess of the shirt. Next came the pants. I had never worn pants ever up until then, my father wouldn't let me. But even though they were dirty and smelly, I could feel how free I was. My legs could move around more and I didn't have to worry about tripping on the ends of a skirt. Finally, I bundled my hair up and placed the hat on my head. The hat was snug perfectly and no hair could fall out. I then rubbed my fingers on the ground and then brought the grime to my face, rubbing it on and distorting my girlish features. I jumped up and down gleefully. Now I just had to go find the place where I buy my newspapers. I scooped up my two dimes and headed out.

Soon I came upon a group of newsies in a line for _The World_ 's distribution window. I kept my head down and quietly stood in the back of the line.

"60 papes, Weasel!" I heard one newsie say, and he slapped down 30¢. I quickly calculated that one of my dimes would buy 20 papers.

As I drew nearer to the front, I realized that most all the boys would call the man "Weasel", so I decided to follow their lead. I need them to accept me. When it was my turn, the man peered at me and said, "New kid, eh? I am Mr. Wiesel."

I slipped a dime in the slot. "20 newspapers… _Weasel_." Many of the newsies cheered. Weasel grumbled something under his breath. Two men slammed a stack of papers into my chest. I caught them and started to walk out.

A boy with dark hair, one or two years older than me, stopped me in my tracks. "Hey there. Who'er you?"

I cleared my throat. "I'm Andrew Wallace." I said in what I hoped was a more manly voice.

"Nice ta meet ya, Andrew. I'm Jack. Jack Kelly." He spit into his palm and held out his hand. I stared at in in disgust. Jack laughed. "This is how we do things 'round here. The newsies way." I grimaced but went with it, wiping my hand off after.

Something tugged at my sleeve. I turned to see a cute young boy about ten smiling up at me with curious round eyes. "Are ya gonna stay at the lodgin' house?"

"Sorry. I have somewhere to go."

The little boy turned to another, older, newsie who resembled him. "See, Davey? We's not the only ones with folks!"

"No, it's not like that." I said hurriedly. "I don't have folks, just a place to live. And I also have a friend there."

"Oh."

"Do ya want me to show ya the best sellin' strategies?" A boy stepped out from the group, and I stifled a horrified gasp. It was the boy who'd tried to sell to me the day before.

"Oh, uh, sure." I answered.

"Why can't I do it?" another newsie argued.

"I asked first!"

"Woah, woah! Stop!" a newsie with a crutch hobbled over before the fight could turn nasty. "Shouldn't Jack do it? He's the best of all of us!"

"Crutchie has a point." Jack said.

"Well, of course _you_ think so." the little newsie scoffed. "Shouldn't we let Andrew decide?"

All heads swiveled to me. "Uh… Not to offend any of you, but I've been watching you guys sell for a while, and I kinda know the strategies already."

Jack chuckled. "Well then, dat's settled. Let's go, boys! Papes don't sell themselves!"

I headed towards a spot where there were lots of businesslike men. I'd decided that my best bet would be making up or elaborating headlines. I loved to write, so I would have fun coming up with them. I didn't think I would be too good at playing up for sympathy, so I sold at an area where there weren't much old ladies to be distractions.

I scanned the paper. One headline was, **Apartment Building Catches On Fire: Beloved Family Pet Dies**.

"Extra! Extra!" I shouted. "Enormous monster of a fire burns many homes! Death arises!" A few heads turned at "death", and a hurried young man came over and bought a paper. He tossed me a nickel and went along without receiving change.

"Nice job."

I almost yelled but instead bit the inside of my cheek. I knew that if I screamed I would probably not think about my voice and scream like a girl.

"Thanks." I said to the lanky newsie who had a cigar in his mouth behind me.

"I'm Race." He spat into his hand and held it out for a handshake. I shuddered. "C'mon! You'se gonna need to get used to it." He was right. I gathered some saliva and spit and we shook hands. It wasn't so bad that time.

"Don't you need to get back to selling?"

"I just wanted to ask why ya can't sleep at the lodgin' house, since ya don't got folks."

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" he pushed.

"I just can't, it wouldn't work."

"I promise ya it's nothin' like da Refuge."

"That's not what I'm worrying about. I'd love to stay at the lodging house, but… but…"

"Yeah…?" he edged me on.

"It would just be wrong."

"How so?"

I threw my hands up in the air with exasperation. "I just can't tell you! Now, we've got papers to sell."

"Right. Nevah forget the papes."

I went back to blaring false headlines.

* * *

 **Dun dun dun! Major not cliffhanger! I usually end all my chapters with either minor or major cliffhangers, but ending here just seemed right. Though it's not the end of the fanfic of course. That would be sad. Just. Sad. Also maddening. Very. Maddening. And I'm super rambling. Epic. Super. Rambling. Super rambling is basically one of my daily routines. So you should just skip the A/Ns and save your sanity.**

 **R &R! F&F!**

 **Toodles!**

 **\- SequoiaBigandTall/Black Widow/Blotch/Cheetah/Bob/JuJuBe Squishy/Jello/Squirt/Auria66/Jubilee Bird/Henry/Jubo/Blaakheart/Bad Mint/Saangqwup/Ketchup/Blank Square/Decoy/Bleak Window/Grass Girl/Trash Worthy/Something Else/Flipped 8/NOT SHELLY!**


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